Bryan Keith Crittendon

Bryan Keith Crittendon, oldest of two sons of Jane Moore and Lynn Crittendon, was born November 4, 1956, in Houston, Texas. On July 21, 1979, in Weaver, Texas, he married Sherri Lynn Wall (born July 2, 1955, in Mount Vernon, Texas).

Bryan and Sherri had two children: Carl Allan Crittendon, born October 7, 1983 in Jacksonville, North Carolina; and Anna Marie Crittendon, born November 20, 1987, in Brownsville, Texas.

Note: Story from 1996 Arthur Jones Family Scrapbook.

Bryan is the child of Lynn H. and Katherine Jane Moore Crittendon. He is one of two boys, the other being Arthur. Bryan was born November 4, 1956, in Houston, Texas, while Lynn was working for Halliburton Company as an engineer. The family moved to the Moore Ranch near Valentine, Texas, when Bryan was one year old, where he spent the rest of his growing up years.

Bryan attended elementary and high school in Valentine, Texas, graduating Salutatorian of his class. He then attended Texas A&M University, graduating with a degree in Mechanized Agriculture in December 1978. He was a member of the Corps of Cadets and received a commission in the Marine Corps upon graduation. He met Sherri Wall during his senior year at A&M.

Sherri is the daughter of Curtis W. and Dovie Lynn Gandy Wall, the eldest of three girls. Her sisters are Geina and Kim. She was born July 2, 1955, in Sulphur Springs, Texas. She grew up on the family farm near Weaver, Texas. Curtis and Dovie were cotton farmers for the first few years of Sherri’s life. By 1960, the cotton in Hopkins County fell victim to boll weevils, and Curtis was then schooled and certified as a union pipeline welder.

This job meant the family travelled during the summers of Sherri’s growing up years. The family enjoyed seeing much of the United States first hand and had many wonderful experiences together. They would return each fall to attend school near the family farm at Saltillo, Texas. Sherri and her sisters graduated from Como-Picton Consolidated High School. Sherri was Valedictorian of her class.

Sherri ran a small flower shop for her mother while attending East Texas State University in Commerce for two years. Her sister, Kim, had gone to Texas A&M, and Sherri transferred and joined her there. It was there she met Bryan.

Bryan entered the Marine Corps in January of 1979. Bryan and Sherri were married July 21, 1979, and Sherri joined Bryan at his duty station in Quantico, Virginia. They were soon transferred to schools in Norfolk, Virginia, and then to Camp Lejune, North Carolina. In January of 1980, Bryan entered Flight School in Pensacola, Florida, graduating as a helicopter pilot in March 1981.

Bryan was transferred back to North Carolina, joining his tactical squadron at New River Marine Air Base. He would be based there the rest of his Marine Corps years. This included deployments to Beirut, Lebanon (during the crisis of 1983), Honduras, California, and various Mediterranean countries. This included being stationed on the USS Guadalcanal, Inchon, Saipain, and Iwo Jima.

During the years in North Carolina, Bryan and Sherri were active in First Baptist Church of Jacksonville. October 7, 1983, brought the first of their two children, Carl Allan. These were wonderful years for the family, but leaving the Marine Corps brought change.

Bryan joined Electronic Data Systems as a customer support engineer and was assigned to a General Motors plant in Matamoros, Mexico. The family lived in Brownsville, Texas. November 20, 1987, brought their second child, Anna Marie. Bryan was transferred to Dallas in 1988, where he worked as an operations manager in a large print center.

During the Brownsville and Dallas days, Bryan and Sherri continued to be active in local Baptist churches. They both came to the conclusion in 1989 that they were called into vocational Christian ministry. Bryan resigned from EDS in May of 1990 and entered Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to pursue a master’s degree in Religious Education, which he completed in July 1992. During the time, Bryan served a church in Fort Worth as Minister of Education.

Upon graduation from seminary, Bryan was called to a church in Cherokee, Oklahoma, where he served until October 1993. After much prayer Bryan and Sherri volunteered for the Southern Baptist Mission Service Corps and were called to a small, rural church in Saltillo, Texas, in the fall of 1994. Bryan was ordained a minister by Calvary Baptist Church of Sulphur Springs, Texas, in November 1994. Bryan worked during the week for the Southwest Dairy Museum in Sulphur Springs and ministered to the church on weekends. Sherri was also actively involved in the church’s ministry—working with women’s groups and children. In January of 1996, Bryan was transferred by the Museum to Roswell, New Mexico. He operates a Mobile Dairy Classroom. Bryan was also called in February 1996 as Associate Pastor of Berrendo Baptist Church in Roswell. Sherri will be serving as church secretary.

Note: Bryan can add to this story. He has served most recently as a military chaplain on land and sea. In 2011, he is stationed on the Gulf Coast and lives at Dickinson, Texas.